What Is an Infographic and How Useful Is It?

Infographics are very popular today and are widely used as a marketing tool. Businesses are utilizing this as a way to effectively communicate their complex message in visual and easy to understand manner.

Statistics show that in only two years’ time from 2011-2013, the volume of infographic search via Google have gone up by more than 800 percent.

What is an Infographic?

An infographic refers to a combination of information and graphics featuring charts, diagrams, photos and stylized text. It is an effective way of creating a story in a more interesting and eye-appealing manner.

It has been said that moderns humans are more visual in that they prefer to view images rather than read long text. Experts confirm that people are often attracted to photos first before they read through the text on a site they visit. It is because the visuals are processed by the brain 60,000 times faster than text.

Businesses and publishers using infographics are reaping the benefits today. Primarily, they are able to grow their web traffic at an average of 12 percent compared to those who don’t use the infographic.

Tips in Making an Infographic

Making an infographic requires creativity and planning. It’s more than just putting text on an image.

Firstly, you need to come up with an objective and pick a topic. Determine what you want to achieve with your infographic and focus on that. Your goals will help you create a story that will engage your followers.

Next, gather as much data as you can on the topic you have chosen. Numbers and text will be most useful.

From there, you can proceed with sketching your idea to determine how you’d like your information to flow. Choose colors that are pleasing to the eyes but avoid the very bright ones and those that will beautifully blend together.

In creating an infographic, you have two options – hire a graphic designer or do it yourself. The first option is for busy business people who don’t have the time to plan and build their own infographic. With a professional to work with, you can just provide all the data you want included and wait for the initial drafts from the graphic designer.

If you’re the creative and hands-on type of person, however, you can opt for the do-it-yourself route. Even with little or no background on graphic design, you can still create the infographic that you want using some free tools including the drag and drop types available online. Most apps allow users to create their infographic for free but requires a small fee for downloading the finished product.

Once you’re done building your infographic, do share it on your social networking sites and if possible, create a smaller image if you want to display a specific section for easy viewing.